The Bookstore
by VivianeAeryn
Summary: So now here he stood in a book store wearing a wife beater and old jeans and scuffed 'within a inch of their life' work boots while he helped Marie keep an eye on twelve kids varying from ages twelve to sixteen and one eighth month old.


**Title:** The Bookstore

**Rating: **PG-13, there are, like, two bad words

**Summery: **So now here he stood in a book store wearing a wife beater and old jeans and scuffed 'within a inch of their life' work boots while he helped Marie keep an eye on twelve kids varying from ages twelve to sixteen and one eighth month old.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters, the comics or the movies. Somebody else does.

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Logan often wondered how he managed to get himself into these types of situations. He really did. Nobody else at the mansion could get him to help cook dinner or show investors or curious public figures around.

Not even Jean or Storm in their tightest and tinniest skirts could get Logan to do what Marie was able to get him to do.

All she had to do was ask him in a soft voice and look at him with brown eyes all soft and hopeful and he caved.

So now here he stood in a book store wearing a wife beater and old jeans and scuffed 'within a inch of their life' work boots while he helped Marie keep an eye on twelve kids varying from ages twelve to sixteen and one eighth month old.

Which he was currently holding, he is still not quite sure how that happened. Logan personally thought the baby was a soft in the brain pan, seeing how she only let Logan and Marie near her and cried as if someone was beating her if anybody else tried to care for her.

Marie thought it was funny the first time it happened and then she stopped laughing, when in Jean's arms the baby reached over and tapped Marie on her face with a bare hand and nothing happened.

He walked to the Graphic Novel section to make sure that Mariska was still there and that she had her phone on and battery fully charged and as he left he shuddered at the nearly full hand basket.

He now had ten other children to find.

Which was incredibly easy seeing as how four of them were in line for Starbucks and pastries. He fought back a groan at the thought of a bunch of bookworms on a caffeine and sugar high getting excited over the latest book in a series.

He ignored the looks he got from some of the people in the store. He knew he didn't fit in, hair all wild and muscles in plain sight making him look like he was more apt at stealing a book than paying for it.

Or it could have been that someone who looked like him was holding an infant and said infant was a sleep on his shoulder and without conscious thought he was rubbing her back. 'Very paternal,' the Wolverine in his mind said. He mentally kicked it's ass.

He checked all their phones and told them that they had forty minutes left and told them to hurry it up and make sure that the books that they wanted were really it because there was no way in hell he was coming back here to return or exchange a book.

The twins, Holly and Molly, were still in the new age section. Holly asking Molly if she should practice Egyptian or Roman because she couldn't seem to figure out which one she felt closer to because she was drawn to both and then threw both books into the basket when Molly asked why can't she integrate the two.

He checked their phones and then went back to searching for the others. Eight down and four to go. He ignored some of the more...grown up looks he got from several of the mothers and single and not single women there.

He really was gonna have to talk to Marie about this. He was gonna have to grow a back bone when it came to her because he had to stop finding himself in these types of situations.

He should be home right now fixing something with a motor or smoking a cigar with a beer or watching a game or fight right now because GODDAMN IT HE WAS THE FUCKING MIGHTY WOLVERINE!

And then the baby let out a whimper and brought in his temper and spiraling thoughts under control and made 'shh' comforting sounds.

He found Edmund in the folklore section and repeated the same process and left before the kid could start to give him a lecture on Norse mythology and he found Roman in the art section looking at a book about a painting with a horse that was creepy because if you moved left or right it's head seem to follow you. He checked Roman's phone and left.

He had two more and Marie to find. Okay, so maybe he was lying to himself. She didn't really ask and he sorta volunteered his services. Sort of.

Okay, so he DID volunteer. She mentioned that the Professor was giving a day to take the more book inclined students to Barnes and Noble and said that she was thinking of asking Remy or maybe Colossus to help her keep chaperon and he thought that there was no way in hell he was letting Octopus Hands anywhere near Marie and as much as he liked Colossus he didn't trust him to keep her safe.

He found Rose Marie in the cookbook section and was not surprised at that. At fourteen she was the second best cook in the mansion and more often than not the chef that Chuck had hired asked her for help. She said she wanted to a famous chef when she gets older.

Logan looked at his watch and realized that there was fifteen minutes left of this trip and and repeated the same process that he had with the ten other children.

Looking down at the baby in his arms he was surprised to see that she was awake and watching him with one tiny fist in her mouth and drool starting drip. He reached into the solid powered pink diaper bag ( he insisted on a solid color because he was not using one of those demeaning ones with pictures on them) and pulled out a bottle and a rag. He wiped her mouth and then repositioned her and removed her hand and stuck the bottle in fast before she could start crying and sighed in relief when she started to suck greedily.

He turned around and started looking for Marie when he felt it. The tapping on his brain he felt when Chuck wanted to 'talk' to him. He opened his mind up and said '_What_?' a little angrily.

_'Mr. Logan?,_' came the timid voice and it threw him off guard to realize that it was not the Professor but Moonbeam. Immediately his hackles rose and his posture became threatening and protective all at once.

_'Whats wrong.'_

_'Nothing really but there is this man that keeps talking to Miss Rogue and he wont go away. He keeps asking to go to dinner but she keeps saying that she can't that she already has a boyfriend. So she asked me to call you._'

Moonbeam was one of the first children to take a shine to Marie, followed her around like a baby duck after its mama and started wearing gloves when she realized it would be the only way to hold Miss Rogue's hands. It had been a difficult conversation four years ago, they weren't sure that an eight year old would understand.

_'Where are you.'_

_'We're in the children's section, looking at Nancy Drew books.'_

_'I'll be right there.'_

He cracked his neck and mindful of the baby, rolled his shoulders and headed to the children's section, body posture straight and rigid.

He found them quickly, picking up Marie's scent was not a problem. Well, it sort of was. He found he liked it to much and find himself breathing her in like an addict.

He nearly ran into a bookcase when it hit him. His face clouded over and he silently cussed to himself and made a mental not to have a talk with his subconsciousness later.

Her scent was the same but there was an underlying trace of fear and that made the Wolverine a little mad.

"Rogue?" He called her by her codename. Until recently he was never sure why he didn't like calling her by her given name when they were around other people.

Now, he realized that she had given him her name. Everybody else got told her name was Rogue and he was the only one who got to call her Marie.

Possessiveness washed over him like a tidal wave and his eyes narrowed and as he stepped up he saw the other guys eyes widen and step back an inch. Marie's head turned toward him and he felt her body sigh with relief when he put an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side.

"You ready, Baby?" The pet name came out easily, too easily. He felt her arm go around his waist and felt Moonbeam press herself against their legs.

She looked up, eyes bright with relief and happiness and nodded her head. He squeezed her side and started to walk her towards the registers in the music section because several of the student had bought cds and dvds

"Moonbeam, call the others and tell them it's time to go." She nodded her pale blond head and closed her eyes. And like roaches they swarmed towards them.

He gave a sigh, "I meant with the phone. There is a reason we have those."

She let out a giggle, "I know but my way was easier."

He gave Marie the baby when she started to reach for her and dug into his back pocket for his wallet and the credit card that the Professor gave all the teachers and watched as the sneer that had been on the cashiers face turn into shock as the total rose and rose as she scanned each book and CD and DVD.

And everyone grabbed their own canvas bag that Gaia demanded everybody use because they were better for the environment and totally made it easier to carry the purchases.

And though it all Logan and Marie continued to keep in bodily contact, or in Logan's case, an arm around her waist and a hand on her hip.

* * *

Sooo...I don't know about this one. It feels to rambly, does it feel that way to you guys? It was just something that came to me and in certain parts I like it and in others it makes me frustrated.

So drop me a line if you think it was to rambly and what not.

And thanks in advance for reading it.


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